Father of Denton man under investigation for his mother's death says his behavior 'recently changed'

DENTON, Texas - We are learning new details about a Denton man who is being investigated in connection with the death of his mother.

Isaac Warriner, 22, was arrested in Oklahoma on Monday after police say he led them on a chase across the state line.

Denton police have not released any details about the "suspicious death investigation," but did say the woman's body showed signs of trauma.

We still don't know what happened inside of the Denton apartment where 65-year-old Sarah Warriner was found dead Sunday night.

Police have not released the arrest affidavit, and the medical examiner has yet to determine her cause of death.

Warriner's father said his ex-wife was trying to help their son, whose behavior had recently changed.

As Warriner sits in an Oklahoma jail, awaiting extradition back to Texas, additional information is coming out about the man Denton police say "abused the corpse of his mother," who was found dead inside her Denton apartment.

Warriner's father, who lives in Louisiana, says his son had gone to live with his ex-wife after a recent stint in rehab.

“We had established some funding for him to go into rehabilitation program because he was suffering from some mental instability,” Kenneth Warriner said.

Warriner would not elaborate on his son's mental state, but did say his behavior changed over the past year, and Susan tried to help him.

“She ministered to people for 40-plus years at churches and other institutions of Christian worship. She was greatly loved, as well as a sweet and gentle soul,” Warriner added.

Police have not elaborated on what kind of trauma she suffered, but describe her death as a homicide.

“I don't think we've seen a case like this in Denton County in quite some time, if ever,” Denton Police Chief Frank Dixon said.

Isaac Warriner graduated from UNT in 2018 with a Bachelor's degree in arts.

According to public records, Warriner was arrested in 2018 for driving while intoxicated, and again in 2019, when he was also charged with possession of marijuana.

Warriner was taken into after a high-speed chase on I-35. It ended around 10:30 a.m. Monday after authorities say they chased him from Gainesville, Texas, to Love County, Oklahoma.

He was initially spotted driving his mother's Volvo, which had been reported missing by Denton police 12 hours earlier. Warriner managed to make it over the state line, but lost control of the car and crashed.

According to the sheriff, unspecified evidence was found inside the car.

Warriner's dad says he is praying for his son's well-being.

“I would stand by him, but also honor the laws of the land and make sure that justice is carried out,” he said.

Once he is brought back to Texas, Warriner will face charges of abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence.

Additional charges could be filed depending on the results of the autopsy.